Lisa's "enthusiasm" was pressing very firmly against Kaito's arm.
Kaito cleared his throat. "Lisa… don't start."
"Oh?" Lisa sighed, dramatic as ever. "So now that Stormterror is causing trouble and I've been visiting Good Hunter less… your heart's already been stolen by someone else?"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted—very deliberately—toward Jean.
Jean's temple twitched. "Lisa… is it really appropriate to joke about shirking in front of the younger Knights?"
Lisa had always "coincidentally" shown up at Good Hunter during afternoon tea.
That was one thing.
But she never brought Jean anything back.
Even Jean—who prided herself on discipline—had quietly accumulated a very small, very stubborn resentment about it.
Amber rubbed the back of her neck, awkward. "Uh… honestly, everyone in the Knights already knows…"
Lisa was famous for doing the bare minimum whenever possible—and for cheerfully passing her work off to others.
The annoying part?
When she did work, she did it flawlessly. No gaps. No mistakes.
Like it or not, she was still someone Amber genuinely wanted to learn from.
"This isn't shirking," Lisa said, wagging a finger. "Proper rest is how you build energy to work better. Efficient. Productive. Twice the results with half the effort."
Then she smiled sweetly at Jean.
"If anything, I'd love for you to learn that, Jean."
Kaito nodded, completely sincere. "Agreed."
Jean stared at him. "…How did this turn into an interrogation of me?"
Lisa's smile softened. "Everyone's been wound tight lately. A little teasing helps."
Then her tone shifted as she looked at Lumine.
"But Lumine… your timing couldn't be worse."
"Since Stormterror awakened, he's been active outside the city—causing chaos." Lisa lifted a hand lazily, as if tracing invisible lines through the air. "And after what just happened, the elemental flow around Mondstadt… the leylines… they're a mess."
"Like a ball of yarn a cat shredded."
She sighed as if personally offended. "For a mage, that's the worst kind of environment. Your skin gets worse. Your mood gets worse."
As she finished, she glanced at Kaito with a look that practically screamed:
I want a beauty drink. Cold. Now.
Kaito spread his hands. "No stock. Qingxin has been hard to get lately."
Jean pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly used to both of them. "Anyway—because of the situation, the Knights can only help you post missing-person notices. We can't offer much more support than that."
Her voice softened. "Stay in Mondstadt for now. Once we resolve this crisis, we'll do everything we can to help you search for clues."
Jean felt it—quiet guilt.
Lumine and Paimon had helped drive the dragon off, protecting the city and its people. And yet Jean still couldn't properly help them with what mattered most.
"Kaito?" Lumine looked to him.
"You should help too," Kaito said.
If he wanted to level up, it didn't matter whether he fought in the wild or cleared ruins—progress was progress.
"Yes! Yes!" Paimon immediately backed him up. "We want in too!"
She'd noticed something extremely important:
The Knights were generous with rewards.
Lumine nodded. "I'll help."
Kaeya's expression eased. "So Boss Kaito is willing to get involved as well?"
"Good Hunter is in Mondstadt," Kaito said, as if that explained everything.
And it did.
Mondstadt's public opinion—and Good Hunter's reputation—were part of his livelihood. His Mora.
Of course he cared.
Kaeya exhaled, visibly relieved. "Excellent. Then let's draft a plan."
Jean stepped in, all business now. "Stormterror's attack actually gave us an opening."
"Under Lisa's elemental detection, we've traced the source of the storm surrounding Mondstadt."
Kaeya lifted a brow. "And the answer is…?"
"The abandoned Temples of the Four Winds," Lisa said smoothly. "Stormterror is drawing on the remnants of their power to sustain a storm on this scale."
Jean nodded. "Our targets are three of the four temples. The reason we're choosing only three… should be obvious."
"I have no idea!" Paimon raised her hand immediately.
Lumine leaned closer and murmured, "Probably Knights procedure. We'll ask later."
Jean continued, voice steady as she laid it out.
"With Kaito and Lumine joining, we'll have breathing room. Right now, we're critically short-handed."
Mondstadt still needed Knights inside the city.
After a dragon attack, they had to manage emergency fallout—and, more importantly, keep a close watch on the Fatui delegation in case they tried to take advantage of weakened defenses.
"Amber," Jean said, turning to her. "You'll handle the closest temple. Once you finish initial reconnaissance, you wait until Kaito and Lumine arrive before you take action. Understood?"
"Understood!" Amber answered immediately.
She knew what Jean was doing.
The closest temple was the safest assignment.
Jean was taking Amber's strength into account—and protecting her.
Jean's gaze shifted. "That leaves the other two…"
"I'll take one—with Kaeya," Lisa offered lazily. "I did say I'd help."
Kaeya smirked. "No objections here."
Then his tone sharpened, curiosity turning into intent. "An abandoned temple suddenly being used like this… it reeks of someone pulling strings. I'll find out who."
Jean straightened, decision made.
"Then we move immediately. The storm is still raging—passive defense is pointless."
"Before this crisis spreads any further—"
She looked at them one by one.
"—we move first. We head for the ruins."
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